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Funeral Service and Mortuary Science at Wayne State University

Detroit, MI · Public · Bachelor's Degree
58 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
55
Optimistic
58
Base Case
60
Pessimistic
Earnings $52,829/yr (8% vs median)
AI Risk Low (17% exposed)
Job Market Small (7,000 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Funeral Service and Mortuary Science graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $606K $550K $488K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 10.6x 9.6x 8.5x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 5.0x 4.5x 4.0x
Viable Career Paths 4 of 4 4 of 4 4 of 4
DegreeWorth Score 55 58 60

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$57,188
Out-of-state: $121,676
Median Debt at Graduation
$15,011
3.4 months of Year 1 earnings

Career Paths

Where Funeral Service and Mortuary Science graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 7,000 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Funeral home managers $76,830 2,600 +4.1% 43%
Embalmers $56,280 600 +1.3% 4%
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers $49,800 3,200 +3.1% 16%
Crematory operators $42,880 600 +3.3% 4%

Compare & Explore

Funeral Service and Mortuary Science at Other Schools

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities ($60,367) Mid-America College of Funeral Service ($56,427) University of Central Oklahoma ($45,804) Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science ($44,110) Southern Illinois University-Carbondale ($33,688)

Other Majors at Wayne State University

Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians ($82,524) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($78,738) Industrial Engineering ($77,815) Computer and Information Sciences, General ($77,371) Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($74,793) Mechanical Engineering ($74,457) Civil Engineering ($73,488) Chemical Engineering ($71,373)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Funeral Service and Mortuary Science at Wayne State University?
This program scores 58/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 55 (optimistic) to 60 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Funeral Service and Mortuary Science career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Funeral Service and Mortuary Science graduates retain 4 of 4 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $488,465 (pessimistic) to $605,626 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Funeral Service and Mortuary Science graduates?
The career paths mapped to Funeral Service and Mortuary Science have roughly 7,000 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a small job market.
Is Funeral Service and Mortuary Science at Wayne State University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 9.6x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 8.5x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.